It might not be easy to be green, but apparently, it’s even harder to be certified as such.

That may be why some feel as though the green building trend is fizzling in Williamson County.

Anyone who uses Realtracs.com, the local online multiple listing service, to conduct their own searches for green-certified houses might be surprised at how few choices they find.

Of 89 new-construction listings we found last week in Brentwood, only nine were certified as green homes; of 150 new houses being advertised within Franklin, only 30 were green-certified.

In Nolensville, 26 of the 72 new houses listed were green-certified, while there were only seven green houses to be found in Spring Hill — and all of them are yet to be built.

The scarcity of new houses that meet the standards is striking given that the energy-efficient features of green building are so often touted as the single best reason to buy new.

The “green certified home” designation used at Realtracs.com covers any house that has been certified by the Energy Star program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program of the U.S. Green Building Council, the Earthcraft green building program or any of the four levels of green certification offered by the National Association of Home Builders.

With so many avenues for green certification available, one reason so many new homes aren’t advertised as green-certified could be the expense and time involved.

“My guess is that could certainly be the case,” said Jim Argo, a spokesman for the Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee, “especially now when everybody is trying to tighten their belt.

“I would bet that a lot of the houses that you are looking at that are not certified green are built to be very energy-efficient homes.”

The certification processes by the different building agencies and programs include multiple steps, including third-party inspections conducted at various stages of the construction process, as well as fees.

But any builder can elect to build according to green standards, forgo the certification process and still promote the energy-efficient features of the house to a buyer.

Trained in eco-traits

One way that a homebuyer can navigate the issue is to find a realty agent who has obtained the National Association of Realtors’ green designation.

Such agents have gone through a three-day NAR program that covers green building features and programs.

Throughout Williamson County, there are 23 agents in Brentwood, 16 agents in Franklin and one agent in Spring Hill listed by the NAR as having this credential.

J. Edward Campbell of Village Real Estate Services is one of the Franklin agents who has the green designation.

He said he considers the knowledge he gained from the program to be valuable, but in most cases, his buyer-clients are more driven by location, number of bedrooms and price than a desire to buy a green house.

“Most people aren’t expressing that need to me,” he said. “I think the buying public is still looking for the best value for their money and they don’t want to pay extra for the green stuff.”

At the same time, Campbell, who also is a board member for the Williamson County Association of Realtors, said he just helped a client buy one of The Jones Co.’s green-certified houses.

Jones has built in eight Williamson County neighborhoods, and all of its new houses are green-certified.

Jones’ newest neighborhood, Barclay Place in Franklin, was just started a year ago and sales manager Angela Crutcher said there are 19 occupied homes, all green-certified.

Five Jones’ listings in Barclay Place and at The Villages of Clovercroft, another subdivision in Franklin, have prices that range from $132 to $143 per square foot.

Are green-certified houses more expensive than others of similar size and location?

According to a Feb. 2 calculation by real estate website Zillow.com, the median list price per square foot for a house in Franklin is $132.

In addition to the Jones’ neighborhoods, some other subdivisions around the county with green-certified new homes include Silver Stream, Sunset Park and Bent Creek in Nolensville and Hurstbourne Park, McKays Mill and Belle Vista in Franklin.